Improvement in photographic bank-notes



UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFIGEa LEOPOLD EIDLITZ, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN PHOTOGRAPHIC BANK-NOTES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 27,116, dated February 14, 1860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEoPoLD ElnLrrz, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and improved method of manufacturing bank notes, checks, drafts, and other similar instruments in a manner which will efiectually prevent their being counterfeited; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof.

The nature of my invention consists in employing for the making of bank-notes or other similar instruments paper either of the variety known as ornamented pressed paper or paper manufactured with a movable or variable water-mark, occurring at a different spot on each different slip, and in printing thereon the vignettes, words, and letters composing the bank-note or other instrument by means, either in whole orin part, of the photographicprocess.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its operation.

I employ any of the known modes usually employed for the manufacture of paper of a suitable quality for bank-notes, or any other instruments designed, excepting as follows: If hand-made paper with a variable or movable water-mark is to be employed, then, before the pulp is spread upon the ueb or dipper, I drop a metal water-mark upon the web or dipper at various points at random, but so that when the sheet of paper comes to be cut into four or six slips for the printing of notes, 810., there will be in each slip one water-mark, and also so that no two slips can probably be found among all which may be manufactured thus in which the water-marks will appear in the same position in relation to the fringed outlines or edges of the paper. On the slips of paper thus watermarked, or, if preferred, upon slips of ornamented pressed paper, I print, by means, either in whole or in part, of the photographic process, the vignettes, words, and figures composing the bank-note, check, draft, or other instrument intended to be made.

If the photographic process is to be employed in connection with engraving or printing, I take first upon the slip of paper a photographic impression of some changing object-a living person, for exam ple-to take the place of a vignette as usually employed, and then upon the slip hearing this photographic impression I print or engrave, by the ordinary process, the words, letters, or figures required to compose the bank-note, check, draft, or other instrument. If the photographic process is to be employed alone, and without the aid of printing or engraving, I print or paint the words, letters, and figures composing the bank-note or instrument upon a screen or other surface, and take a photographic impression (a negative upon glass) of this screen in connection with the subject selected for the vignette, placin g said subject in an aperture cutiu the screen,

or in front or on the side of the same, or otherwise.

Bank-notes, checks, drafts, or other instruments thus made cannot be counterfeited, because the photographed parts of the bank-note cannot be imitated by engraving, and because ifattempted to he imitated by the photographic process the negative taken from the bank-note produced as abore described differs from the original negative in showing in bold relief the water or pressed mark used in the paper. If the positive taken from such a negative be printeduponplain paper,( meaning paper which has neither the movable water-mark above described nor a pressed mark,) the absence of a real water-mark Orpressed mark will be detected on the reversed side of the note or instrument; orif genuine paper is obtained and employed, still there will beboth a real watermark or pressed mark and a photographic water-mark or pressed mark, and the chances are innumerable that these will not coincide.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The use of the photographic process as a substitute, either wholly or in part, for engraving or printing bank-notes orother instruments requiring security against counterfeiting, in combination with the employment of paper bearing either a pressed mark or a water-mark produced as above described or by any similar means.

LEOPOLD EIDLITZ. In presence of- THos. WILSON, ISAIAH W. SYLvEs'rER. 

